To mark the company’s 60th anniversary, Wanis International Foods recently celebrated the company’s remarkable growth from a small grocery shop to Europe's leading distributor of world foods.
The Wanis's 60th anniversary star-studded event, hosted on Wednesday (25) at the luxurious The Londoner Hotel, saw attendance from numerous several industry stakeholders ranging from suppliers from different countries to decades old clients.
In commemoration of its sixth decade in business, Wanis International Foods also announced grants of £10,000 each to six different charities.
Welcoming the guests at the event, Mrs Wadhwani said, “From 1964 until today, our family has grown from my late husband and myself to over 200 people in the company. What an incredible journey it has been! I would have never dreamt that this business would have grown so big.”
The Wanis board of director’s celebrate (From left to right) Kapil Wadhwani, Adam Reader, George Phillips, Sanjay Wadhwani and Alam Ameer.
Sanjay Wadhwani, who now heads up the business with a board of directors, reflected, “This milestone is indeed a significant achievement, representing not only the hard work and dedication of our team but also serving as a guiding light for what lies ahead.
"We can view this moment as both a reflection of our past and an inspiration for our vibrant future.”
The event began with a tribute to the six-decade journey of Wanis International Foods, detailing how the company's founder, Tulsidas Wadhwani, affectionately known as Mr. Wani, started the business in 1964 from a small grocery shop in North London.
Walking down the memory lane, Kapil Wadhwani, director at Wanis International Foods, said, “60 years ago, in 1964, our father, Tulsidas Wadhwani, was inspired by the birth of his first child, our big sister, to lay the foundation of what would eventually become Wanis International Foods. He believed she was his lucky charm, as her name Nityalaxmi literally means “Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.”
From a small shop on Holloway Road with a simple red delivery van, he started the journey to bring the authentic tastes of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean to the UK, Kapil said, adding that his father’s vision was to create a bridge between cultures, allowing communities to connect and stay strong with their roots through food.
Attendees were told how Wanis quickly gained a reputation as the go-to place for hard-to-find food items. However, the business faced challenges, including industrial strikes and power cuts, which significantly impacted operations as it primarily dealt with fresh products, reliant on refrigeration.
An ariel artist entertains guests
This was when Mr. Wani, on the advice of Mrs. Wadhwani, transitioned from fresh foods to more dependable packaged goods, a strategic move that drew more independent entrepreneurs to Wanis.
Sanjay noted, “Our mother’s foresight and adaptability laid the foundation for our expansion into packaged foods, a decision that was instrumental to our growth.
"Today, we stand as a testament to my parent’s vision, having grown into the UK’s leading wholesaler of World Foods, serving thousands of customers across the nation and beyond."
Guests were treated to spectacular food, drinks and entertainment at Leicester Square’s Londoner Hotel.
Under the leadership of Sanjay and Kapil, along with continued guidance from their mother, the company today has grown and expanded into a £140 million turnover business, supplying to UK-wide supermarkets, wholesalers, independent retailers and online stores, as well as restaurants, takeaways and caterers of all sizes.
Today, Wanis distributes over 4,000 products to 45 countries, exclusively representing numerous heritage brands in the UK.
Speaking at the event, Adam Reader, Finance Director at Wanis, said, “Over 25 per cent of our staff have been with us for more than 10 years. That's more than 50 people within our family. Within our family, we have 29 nationalities, and we speak over 25 different languages."
Over the years, Wanis has donated its time and money to charities and initiatives across the globe.
Reader said, “We've always looked to support initiatives in the communities where our food is grown or produced from building orphanages in Ghana, donating laptops to schools in Jamaica, installing water pumps in Pakistan, the Guru Nanak home for children in India and closer to home, helping the NHS increase blood donations during the pandemic and supporting many food banks.”
As part of its 60th-anniversary celebrations, the company announced £10,000 grants to six charities. Recipients include TikTok sensation Giovino McLean, known for empowering clients with disabilities, Little Lady Lock, the Malaria Foundation, White Mile Primary School in Jamaica, and Guru Nanak Home in India.
The evening culminated in a toast to the next 60 years, celebrating the company’s diverse team and strong community ties.
Looking ahead, Sanjay remarked, “As we look to the future, we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. The world is changing - and so are we. The recent expansion to our Rainham depot is just the beginning.
“We are committed to embracing innovation by expanding our product lines and enhancing our service to meet the evolving needs of our diverse customer base and broadening our reach and fostering ever deeper connections with more communities.
“Our mission remains clear- to deliver adventurous and exciting foods from around the world to dining tables across the UK and beyond. But, our journey is not solitary; it involves collaboration with customers, suppliers, service providers, third party stakeholders and more.”
Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) today (30) has warned the Chancellor about the negative effects of the new National Living Wage (NLW) increase, a day after the Chancellor announced a pay rise for over 3 million workers next year, with NLW rates rising by 6.7 perc cent.
From April 2025, the NLW will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 while 18-20 National Minimum Wage will rise by £1.40 per hour to £10 - the largest increase on record, marking the first step towards a single adult rate.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said, “Our members are grappling with how to afford this inflation-busting increase in wage costs. The market remains tough, with many retailers reporting flat or declining sales while expenses like banking charges, credit card processing fees and energy bills are eating away at their profitability.
"More than ever, we need help from the Chancellor in the Budget. Without sustained and enhanced help on business rates, a reduction in National Insurance Contributions, and effective incentives to drive investment, our sector faces a challenging future. For some communities, this could mean the viability of their local shop is put at risk.”
Evidence provided to the Low Pay Commission by ACS earlier this year already found that to handle the increases in national wage increases, 53 per cent of retailers have reduced the amount they invest in their business, 53 per cent have been forced to increase their prices in store, and 47 per cent have had to take lower profits.
Baroness Philippa Stroud, Chair of the Low Pay Commission (LPC), stated that data already shows signs of employers finding it harder to adapt to minimum wage increases.
A Rossendale shop has had a licence bid rejected after repeatedly selling vapes to children and having illegal products on its premises.
Management at the Ibra Superstore at 34 Burnley Road, Bacup, have shown ‘no regard’ for children’s protection and safety, and have insufficient controls for licensing, Rossendale councillors have ruled.
Ibrahim Mohammad, director of the Ibra Superstore, had recently applied to Rossendale Council for a new premises licence. But the borough’s licensing sub-committee rejected his bid after a meeting which heard allegations from the police and trading standards officers.
The Burnley Road shop has been subject to various licensing changes and concerns in recent years. In the past, it was called Bacup Wines.
Ibrahim Mohammad, the applicant, attended the Rossendale licensing sub-committe meeting with his father,Amin Mohammad. Also there was PC Mick Jones, of Lancashire Constabulary, and Jason Middleton of Lancashire Trading Standards. Councillor Bob Bauld attended as an observer.
Mr Mohammad wanted a premises license for alcohol sales and opening hours from 8am to 11pm, seven days a week. He already had a personal licence. He said the Bacup shop would install a CCTV system, keep an incident log and a refusals record, check customers’ ages, display information about staff and give them regular training.
Trading standards officer Jason Middleton said Ibra Superstore Ltd was incorporated as a company in April 2023. Since then, trading standards had received 11 complaints about under-age sales and carried out visits.
Breaches included non-compliant vapes being found which broke a 2ml limit on the quantity of nicotine-containing liquid, no age checks and no information on display.
During one visit, Amin Mohammad tried to leave with a bag containing 10 illegal vapes. In test purchases by trading standards, an ‘Elf Bar’ vape was sold to a 14-year-old by Amin Mohammad and an illegal Hayati Pro Max vape to a 13-year-old by Ibrahim Mohammad. The shop claimed a phone call distracted staff during the 13-year-old’s purchase and illegal vapes came from ‘a man in car’.
Councillors heard different speakers, looked at written reports and also some video footage from the applicant. But they rejected the premises licence bid.
Giving their reasons, they stated: “There was a repeated history and pattern of behaviour regarding under-age sales of age-restricted items, such as tobacco products and vapes to children. You must not sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18. This is a criminal offence which the council takes very seriously.
“It is clear you breached the law by failing a test purchase operation in which you sold an illegal vape to an under-age child. The sub-committee feels that you have no regard to the protection and safety of children.
“The sub-committee feels that there is insufficient management control at the premises. There is no credible system to prevent under-age sales of age-restricted products and no measures in place to avoid harm to children and to prevent crime and disorder
“Therefore, given the number of incidents, the circumstances surrounding the incidents and the fact that the matter involves safeguarding issues relating to young, vulnerable minors, we consider that the seriousness of the incidents and the crimes committed against young children undermines the licensing objectives to prevent crime and disorder, and protect children from harm.”
The shop has the right of appeal to a magistrates court within 21 days of the date of the notice.
SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.
Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.
It is a decision they have not looked back on, with sales increasing by up to 25% and margins also showing significant uplift in the last 12 months.
Key to the store’s improved performance is the complete overhaul of products available in-store, particularly the fresh food range, to better support people who live in Patrington and the surrounding area.
A new store layout and refrigeration, better Food To Go and meal deal options, a coffee machine, and a Calippo slush machine were also installed during a major refurbishment prior to launch.
Dara said: “Our move to SPAR has been excellent. We have seen fantastic sales uplift and the support from the team at James Hall & Co. Ltd has been brilliant. The £100,000 of free stock is the cherry on the cake.
“We have been very impressed with the Price Locked promotions, in particular. These give customers confidence to do bigger shops with us as they see value on our shelves and the products at the same prices for longer.
“At times over the summer when tourists and visitors to the area add trade, we have seen sales £6,000 a week higher than our average. This is against a backdrop of the popular caravan park in the village being closed almost all year.
“We are really pleased with the position we are in, and we will be looking to achieve more in 2025.”
Peter Dodding, Sales Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd and Chairman of the SPAR Northern Guild, said: “Congratulations to Dara and the Randhawa family on hitting their targets and earning £100,000 of free stock.
“We recognise switching brand is a big decision for a retailer which is why this isn’t a gimmick, and we offer this to all retailers who join the SPAR family with James Hall & Co. Ltd.
“As well as our £100,000 incentive, we also offer retailers the chance to achieve up to an additional £5,000 of free stock if they successfully refer a friend.
“These opportunities provide additional motivation to retailers alongside the comprehensive benefits that joining the SPAR brand brings with it.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).
The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:
NMW Rate
Increase (£)
Percentage increase
National Living Wage (21 and over)
£12.21
£0.77
6.7
18-20 Year Old Rate
£10.00
£1.40
16.3
16-17 Year Old Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Apprentice Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Accommodation Offset
£10.66
£0.67
6.7
The recommended NLW rate is expected to equal two-thirds of median earnings and to have the highest real value in the history of the UK’s minimum wage. The increase in the 18-20 Year Old Rate narrows the gap between that and the NLW, in anticipation of the adult rate being extended to 18 year olds in future years.
“The government have been clear about their ambitions for the National Minimum Wage and its importance in supporting workers’ living standards. At the same time, employers have had to deal with the adult rate rising over 20 per cent in two years, and the challenges that has created alongside other pressures to their cost base,” Baroness Philippa Stroud, chair of the LPC, said.
“It is our job to balance these considerations, ensuring the NLW provides a fair wage for the lowest-paid workers while taking account of economic factors. These rates secure a real-terms pay increase for the lowest-paid workers. Young workers will see substantial increases in their pay floor, making up some of the ground lost against the adult rate over time.”
Stroud admitted that the data show some signs of employers finding it harder to adapt to minimum wage increases.
“The tightening of the labour market since the pandemic has unwound, but the overall picture is similar to 2019. The economy is expected to grow over the next year, although productivity growth remains subdued,” she noted.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:
Good work and fair wages are in the interest of British business as much as British workers. This government is changing people’s lives for the better because we know that investing in the workforce leads to better productivity, better resilience and ultimately a stronger economy primed for growth.
The recommended increase in the 16-17 Year Old Rate restores that rate to its original value relative to the adult minimum wage. In line with previous recommendations, the Apprentice Rate will remain equal to the 16-17 Year Old Rate.
SPAR UK has announced the appointment of Michael Fletcher as its new managing director.
Fletcher spent 22 years at Tesco plc, where he held numerous senior commercial roles in the UK, Ireland and Asia. He joined Co-op Retail in 2013 where he held the position of chief commercial officer before moving on to become CEO of Nisa Wholesale, a role he held until 2022.
Since leaving Nisa, Fletcher has taken on several non-executive director and board advisory roles. He is also the founder and chief executive of Sleet Brush Limited, where he focuses on designing and implementing innovative solutions to complex retail and wholesale challenges.
“Michael has outstanding credentials in commercial, retail and FMCG sectors, with experience across various trading environments,” Nick Bunker, non-executive chair, SPAR Food Distributors Ltd, said.
“His professional capabilities and high standards consistently drive excellent business performance and operational resilience. We are delighted with his appointment and look forward his lasting and positive contribution to the SPAR business.”
Fletcher added: “SPAR is a globally recognised and respected brand, and I am thrilled to join the team. I look forward to supporting the ongoing strengthening and development of the SPAR proposition in the UK.”